Card games

ABSTRACT

A gambling card game played in 3 main stages: initial betting and dealing, bet adjustment, hand checking and payouts, 7-card hands are ranked according to haw many cards of a hand has. Initial betting involves placing two equal bets, Ante and Bonus. Bet adjustment involves confirmation by placing a third (Raise) bet or throwing in. Ant and Raise bets are won if the player&#39;s hand beats the dealer&#39;s hand. The Bonus bet is won if the player&#39;s hand matches one of a set of several-of-a-kind combinations. A jackpot is won if the hand is the highest combination, ie 4-3. A player can place a Progressive bet. If the dealer has a jackpot hand, the jackpot is shared among all players with Progressive bets; otherwise, the Progressive bets are added into the jackpot. Online playing is possible.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to card games, and more specifically to gambling card games and apparatus for playing them.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a wide variety of gambling card games. In some, all participants are on an essentially equal footing; others are of the casino type in which there is a dealer or “house” which operates the game and against which the players play. The present invention is concerned with the latter type of game (although, of course, it may be agreed that different players can become dealer as the session progresses).

Different types of games can involve different degrees of complexity and skill. It is desirable for a game to have the right degree of complexity; if it is too complex then many potential players will be put off, whereas if it is too simple, then potential players will soon lose interest. The same applies to skill; if little or no skill is involved (eg simply cutting for the highest card for fixed stakes) then potential players will soon lose interest, whereas if it appears to demand a high level of skill, then many potential players will be put off.

The object of the present invention is to provide a game which is novel and attractive (ie involves intermediate levels of complexity and skill).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a casino-type card game, the main features of which are as follows.

The game is played in 3 main stages. In the first stage, bets are made by the players and the dealer deals to himself and the players. In the second stage, the players inspect their hands and adjust their bets. In the third stage, the dealer pays out on winning bets. It will be understood that the individual operations or phases in a stage can to a large extent be varied in sequence, and the stages can to some extent overlap.

The game is preferably played with a standard pack of playing cards, and the hands are preferably 7-card hands with the hands being ranked according to a predetermined rule, which is preferably dependent on how many cards of a kind are in the hand (eg 3 fours, 2 twos, a five, and a four). In the event of matching hands, the rank of the largest group of a kind determines which hand is the higher (eg the hand just mentioned is higher than a hand of 3 threes, 2 Aces, a King, and a Queen). In the event of hands still matching (which can happen if the largest group of a kind is of size 1 or 2), the bets may either be cancelled or be held over for the next hand. The suits of the cards are irrelevant.

The bets placed in the first stage preferably comprise two bets, for Ante and Bonus, and their adjustment in the second stage preferably consists of confirmation by placing a third, Raise, bet or throwing in (with the loss of the Ante and Bonus stakes). In the third stage, the Ante and Raise bets are won if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, at 1:1 odds, and the Bonus bet is won if the player's hand matches one of a set of several-of-a-kind combinations, at odds dependent on the combination. Preferably the Ante, Bonus, and Raise bets are all required to be equal, but can be of any desired value (in appropriate units, and between house limits).

A player also preferably wins a jackpot if their hand is the highest combination, ie 4-3 (4 of a kind and 3 of a kind). The jackpot is preferably initially set at a high value by the dealer.

Each player can also preferably place a Progressive bet in the first stage, preferably of a fixed amount. If the dealer has a jackpot hand, then the jackpot is shared among all players with Progressive bets; otherwise, the Progressive bets are added into the jackpot.

The number of players is variable, from one (apart from the dealer) up to the number of player positions on the playing surface. Partnerships between players are not allowed, and each player may play only one hand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A game embodying the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the playing table;

FIG. 2 shows a player position in more detail;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of computerized apparatus for playing the game; and

FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram of part of the display of the apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, the game is played at a table or playing surface 10 having a dealer position 11 and six player positions 12 suitably marked, either directly on the table top or on a cloth laid over the table top. The various positions are suitably marked to define various areas discussed below, with the player positions 12 being laid out in an arc around the dealer position 11. The table is preferably approximately D shaped, with the dealer position at the middle of the vertical line of the D and the player positions spaced around the curve of the D facing the dealer.

The dealer position comprises a box area 20 onto which the dealer's hand is dealt. All the player positions 12 are similar, as shown in FIG. 2, each comprises three betting areas 31-33 for different types of bet—Ante, Progressive, and Bonus bets—together with a box area 30 onto which the cards of the player's hand are dealt and which receives a Raise bet. The box area 30 may be identified by a name having suitable connotations, giving eg the impression of oriental influence and being neutral or positive, such as “Wan Doy”, which may also be used as the name of the game.

There are also some information areas. An elongated merit order area 21 is located between the dealer area and the player areas, and each player area 12 includes a jackpot information area 34 and a bonus information area 36. For the player position, the betting areas 31-33 are arranged in an arc above the box area 30 and the information areas 34 and 35 are arranged at the sides of the box area, as shown.

The merit order area 21 contains a listing of all possible types of hand in order of merit. Specifically, this listing consists of the following:

“Hands in Order of Merit” 4-3 4-2 3-3 3-2-2 4 2-2-2 3-2 3 2-2 2 No Pair”

The jackpot areas 34 each contain a brief statement of the jackpot conditions—specifically, the following:

“Dealer's Hand 4-3: All Eligible Players Share Progressive”

The bonus information areas 35 list the bonus conditions—specifically, the heading

“Bonus Payouts”together with a listing consisting of rows 1 to 8 and columns 2 and 3 (Hand type and Bonus odds) of the table given and discussed below.

The play of the game involves two main factors: obtaining a bonus hand and beating the dealer's hand. (In addition, there are two jackpot situations.) A hand consists of 7 cards. The ranking of the hands is the same for both the factors just mentioned, and depends on obtaining one or more sets of cards each of which is 2 or more of a kind. Specifically, the ranking is as follows: Hand Ranking Table Rank no Hand type Bonus odds  1: 4-3 100:1  2: 4-2  80:1  3: 3-3  50:1  4: 3-2-2  25:1  5: 4  10:1  6: 2-2-2  5:1  7: 3-2  3:1  8: 3  2:1  9: 2-2 nil 10: 2 nil 11: nil nil In this table, line 1 indicates a hand of the highest rank, which consists of 4 cards of one kind (eg 4 7's) and 3 cards of a second kind (eg 3 Queens), and so on down to line 11, which all 7 cards are of different kinds. The suits of the cards are ignored; thus, for example, 5 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, and 5 of spades is taken as exactly equal to, 5 of clubs, 5 of hearts, and 5 of spades. All possible combinations are listed.

The ranking corresponds roughly to the relative probabilities, with line 1 (4 of a kind plus 3 of a kind) being the least likely, though the ranking differs from the probability order near the bottom of the table. The table also lists the bonus odds, which are chosen to be generally well below the probabilities of the various hands, to give the dealer or “house” a suitable edge. (Obviously the precise values of the bonus odds may be varied, depending eg on how much house edge is desired.)

The number of players is between one and six (six being the maximum number of play positions 12). To play the game, each player places equal stakes in their Ante and Bonus boxes, and the dealer deals out 7 cards to each player (including the dealer). The players then each inspect their hands. Each player then decides whether or not to confirm their bets on that hand. If the player decides to confirm, they place their hand in their box area 30 and place a confirmation Raise stake (of the same amount as the stake in the Ante box) on top of their hand (in box area 30). The dealer's hand is then exposed. Each player then claims their winnings if they have a winning hand.

For Ante and Raise bets, a player wins these bets if their hand beats the dealer's hand, and the amount they win is the amount they staked in their Ante and Raise areas 30 and 31 (ie the odds for Ante and Raise are events, ie 1:1); otherwise, the player loses. The player's hand beats the dealer's hand if the player's hand has a higher rank (see the Table above) than the dealer's hand.

For Bonus bets, a player wins their Bonus bet if their hand is a Bonus hand. The amount they win is determined by the amount of their Bonus bet (ie the amount they placed in their Bonus areas 33) and the odds given against the particular combination of their hand. In addition, if the player does not win the Bonus bet but their hand is higher than the dealer's hand, the Bonus stake is not lost. Instead, it is left on the Bonus area 33 for the next hand.

If the two hands have equal rank in the table, then the winning hand is the one which has the highest denomination for the largest group of cards of the same kind. Suppose for example that the two hands are both of rank 2 in the Table, ie type 4-2. If the two hands are 7-7-7-7-2-2-3 and 6-6-6-6-A-A-K, the first hand beats the second because the largest group of cards of the same kind is the group of 4 cards and 7 (the denomination of the group of 4 cards in the first hand) is greater than 6 (the corresponding denomination in the second hand).

For hands of ranks 6, 9, and 10, it is possible for two hands of the same rank to match exactly as far as the denominations of the pair or pairs is concerned. In this stand-off situation, the stakes on the Raise, Ante, and Bonus areas 30, 31, and 33 are left in place as the stakes for the next hand.

If desired, the denominations of the single cards in the hands can be considered in the event of a match. (This will require appropriate modification of the bonus odds.) However, it will still be possible to have exactly matching hands.

The rules may be modified so that the Raise, Ante, and/or Bonus stakes can be returned to the player, so that they can leave the table or change their stakes for the next hand, instead of simply being left on the table for the next hand. The return may be either optional (at the choice of the player) or automatic.

If a player has a Jackpot hand, then they win the Jackpot (in the rare event of more than one player having a Jackpot hand, the jackpot is shared). The “pot” will normally be set by the dealer at the beginning of the playing session to some suitably high value.

In addition, a player may put a fixed stake on their Progressive area 32. This will normally be taken by the dealer and added to the jackpot. However, if the dealer's hand is a jackpot, the jackpot is shared between all players who have Progressive bets. The use of the progressive jackpot feature is optional.

FIG. 3 shows apparatus for playing the game. There is a plurality of player units 40-1 to 40-n which are coupled via a communication system 41, such as the Internet, with a game playing system comprising an administration unit 42, a player register 43, and a game unit 45. Each unit 40 is typically a personal computer with a display unit and control means (a keyboard and a mouse).

When a player logs on to the game playing system, their unit 40 identifies itself to the administration unit. The system holds the details of the players in the register 43, which contains separate player register units 44-1 to 44-n for all the players, ie for all the members of the system.

Once the player has been identified, the player is assigned to a game unit 45. The game unit contains a set of player data units 46-1 to 46-6, a dealer unit 47, a control unit 48, and a random dealing unit 49.

Up to six players can be assigned to the game unit 45. There can be several such units, as indicated, so that several games can be played at the same time if there are more than 6 members of the system logged on at the same time. The assignment of a player unit 40 to a player data unit 46 may be arbitrary or random, depending on which player data units 46 and game units 45 are free. Each player data unit 46 is loaded from the corresponding player register unit 44 and also contains essentially the same details as the corresponding player unit 40, and is in communication with the player unit 40 to keep the contents of the player unit and player data unit updated with each other. In addition, the appropriate parts of the contents of the other player data units 46 and the dealer unit 47 are passed to the player unit 40 for display.

The logic unit 48 of the game unit 45 steps the game unit through the various stages of the play, initiating the dealer actions and awaiting the appropriate responses from the player units 40. The random dealing unit 49 deals cards essentially randomly to the dealer unit 47 and the player data units 46. At the end of the hand, the logic unit passes the results of the hand, ie the wins and/or losses, to the player data units 46 to inform the players of their results. The administrative unit 42 also takes those results and updates the player register units 44 accordingly.

The player units 40 are arranged to show a display which essentially corresponds to the layout shown in FIG. 1. To identify the player, the player's position is highlighted. As play proceeds, so the player selects the various boxes, enters bets in them, and so on, and the results of those actions are displayed. As the cards are dealt, a series of overlapping card symbols is shown in the Raise box 30, as indicated at 55 in FIG. 3. At the option of the player, the cards can be shown in a line 56 below the box 30, and similarly for the cards dealt to the dealer. At the end of the hand, a message is displayed informing the player of the results of their bets, ie the amounts won or lost.

In the claims, all references in parentheses to technical features are references within the meaning of EPC Rule 29(7), whether the reference are to individual features within specific figures or to complete figures, and are not to be taken as implying reliance on those features within the meaning of Rule 29(6). 

1. A gambling card comprising a first stage in which bets are made by the players and the dealer deals hands, each of the same number of cards, to himself and the players; a second stage in which the players inspect their hands and adjust their bets; and a third stage in which the dealer pays out on winning bets.
 2. A game according to claim 1 played with a standard pack of playing cards and wherein the hands are 7-card hands with the hands being ranked according to a predetermined rule.
 3. A game according to claim 2 wherein the ranking is dependent on how many cards of a kind are in hand.
 4. A game according to claim 3 wherein in the event of matching hands, the rank of the largest group of a kind determines which hand is the higher.
 5. A game according to claim 4 wherein in the event of hands matching, the bets may either be cancelled or be held over for the next hand.
 6. A game according to claim 1 wherein the bets placed in the first stage comprise two bets, for Ante and Bonus, and their adjustment in the second stage consists of confirmation by placing a third, Raise, bet or throwing in.
 7. A game according to claim 6 wherein in the third stage, the Ante and Raise bets are won if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand at 1:1 odds and the Bonus bet is won if the player's hand matches one of a set of several-of-a-kind combinations, at odds dependent on combination.
 8. A game according to claim 6 wherein the Ante, Bonus, and Raise bets are all required to be equal, but can be of any desired value (in appropriate units, and between house limits).
 9. A game according to claim 1 wherein a player also wins a jackpot if their hand is the highest combination.
 10. A game according to claim 1 wherein a player can also place a Progressive bet in the first stage, the jackpot being shared among all players with Progressive bets if the dealer has a jackpot hand.
 11. A game according to claim 10 wherein the Progressive bets are added into the jackpot if the dealer does not have a jackpot hand.
 12. A game board for playing the game according to claim
 1. 13. Apparatus for playing the game of claim 1 comprising a plurality of player units which are coupled via a communication system with a game playing system.
 14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the game playing system comprises a administration unit, a player register, and a game unit.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the communication system is the Internet.
 16. Any feature of novelty or combination thereof within the meaning of so Article 4H of the International Convention. 